12 Scary Truths No One Tells You Before Starting a Business

Having your own business sounds exciting. You can finally fulfill your passion and accomplish your dreams. HOW CAN YOU FAIL, YOUR IDEA IS AMAZING?!! Before you can say billionaire, here are some cold, hard truths no one tells you before starting a business.

It’s not glamorous.

If you’re there for the bubbly and the private jet, entrepreneurship isn’t for you. Business owners make boxes, clean floors (stalls), change the toilet paper roll and do whatever needs to be done. There is no task beneath you – literally, none.

You’ll always be worrying.

About the present, about the future, about your team, your clients. You’ll love it but you’ll be constantly thinking about your business.

There will be times when you won’t get paid.

If you love the stability of getting a paycheck every week, entrepreneurship is not for you. You’ll pay all your bills before paying yourself and some weeks, there just won’t be enough.

Don’t expect others to be as committed as you are.

You can have the most amazing and hardest-working team, no one is going to care as much or work as hard as you do. You can’t expect them to.

You’ll make a million decisions every day.

Your brain will almost explode.

Success takes time.

Forget the movies. We’re talking years, not months.

The buck always stops with you.

No matter the problem, no matter who’s responsible, it’s on you and you need to fix it.

At some point, you’ll get royally screwed by someone you trusted.

It’s tough out there. You’ll get knives in the back, punches in the face and knockdowns. But you’ll get up, move on and continue to do your thing.

You will question your sanity on a regular basis.

You’ll have conversations with yourself like this: “WHY DID I LEAVE THAT JOB? It wasn’t that bad, was it?” “Yes, it was. You hated it.”

It’s like jumping without a parachute.

This is your Plan B, and C, and Z.

It’s lonely at the top but it’s even more lonely at the bottom.

Insert the thing about being nice on the way up.

It’s the craziest, most exhausting, most fun thing you’ll ever do.

No matter how hard it is at times, those of us who do it can’t imagine doing anything else. If 1-11 didn’t scare you, welcome to the club.